Typewriting machine



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June 3 19240 J. A. WHERERY TYPEWRITING MACHINE Griginal F ed April 13.3,921 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

by Q5 Affa 6y Patented ctime 3, H9243.

FFICE.

JOHN A. WHERRY, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

TYPEWRITING- MACHINE.

Application filed April 13, 1921, Serial No. 460,955. Renewed August'22, 1922. Serial No. 583,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. WHERRY, a citizen of the United States,residing in New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTypewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for enlo abling an operator to insertsheets bottom end foremost at the front of a revoluble platen of afront-strike typewriting machine.

As set forth in my pending application, Serial No. 444,306, filedFebruary 12, 1921,

there is rovided a flexible temporary guide,

preferab ly cloth or other fabric, which normally lies out of use backof the platen, but which may be carried forwardly under the platen and uin front thereof with its front edge somew 1at above the printing pointon the platen. The work-sheet is insertible bottom end first between thetemporary guide and the platen, and may be thrust down around the platento a position to begin the first line of writing. This is done while thetemporary guide remains in its advanced position, and while the usualfeedrolls are cast off from the bottom of the platen. Thereupon thetemporary guidesheet is pulled rearwardly and restored to its normalidle osition back of the platen, and the feed-roll s are restored tooperate upon the work-sheet, whereupon the typing may proceed. Means areprovided foradvancing and retracting the guide-sheet, and forautomatically throwing off the feed-rolls prior to advancing, the sheetand restoring them after the sheet is retracted.

Said pending application also sets forth means for securing one or morecarbon copies of typed sheets. To this end, the carbon or other web oftransfer material is carried upon'a roll back of the platen. Whenintroducing the work-sheets, the end of the car- 5 hon-Web stands abouteven with the end of the temporary guide-sheet at the front of theplaten. The outer work-sheet, which is to receive the ink impressions,is introduced bottom end foremost between the temporary guide-sheet andthe carbon-Web, and pushed downwardly as far as required, while theguidesheet' and carbon-Web remain stationary. Then another work-sheet isintroduced, bottom end foremost, between the carbon-web and the platen,and pushed down as far as desired, while the remaining sheets arestationary. More than one carbon-web may be employed, so that additionalsheets may be inserted between the carbon-webs. A separate spool may beprovided for each carbon-Web.

The present invention relates to a machine, as described above, having aplurality of separate spools for the carbon-webs, and provides for suchan arrangement of the spools that sheets inserted from the front of themachine may be pushed down until the bottom edges project past thespools. Hitherto the rearward limit of the movement of the bottom edgeof a work-sheet has been at the spools which were so placed as toobstruct the easy movement of the sheet and further manipulation wasnecessary if the sheet had to pass beyond the spools. In the presentinvention, the spools are so arranged as to offer without additionalmanipulation a clear, unobstructed path to the work-sheet movingrearwardly beyond the spools.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of the carriage of an Underwood standardtypewriting machine, with the invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a vertical section of the device shown in Figure 1, showingthe guidesheet in retracted position before the insertion of thework-sheets.

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, showing the guide-sheet inadvanced position and the work-sheets inserted, the latter having theirbottom ends extending beyond the carbon-spools.

A revoluble platen 1 is fixed upon an axle 2 journaled in the end walls3 of the usual platen or shift-frame. The platen may be line-spaced bythe usual line-space mechanism comprising a slide 4, 1 a pawl (notshown) on said slide engaging a ratchetwheel 5 fixed to the platen axle.and an operating lever 6 for said slide. The platen may be rotatedforwardly or backwardly by means of the usual finger-wheels 7 fixed onthe ends of the axle 2. The platen-frame comprises also a forwardly anddownwardly-inclined rear pa er-table 10, and a curved paper-apron .11eneath the platen, shown as forming a forward continuation of the reartable. Front and rear feed-rolls 12 and 13 co-operate with the lowerside of the platen through openings in the paper-apron, the frontfeed-rolls being mounted upon a front feed-roll shaft 14, and the rearfeedrolls upon'a rear feed-roll shaft 15. The front feed-roll shaft 14is carried by forwardlyprojecting lever-arms 16, and the rear feedrollshaft is similarly carried by rearwardlyprojecting lever-arms 17. Thelever-arms 16 and 17 are pivoted upon a transverse shaft 18 forming alower tie-rod and are engaged by springs (not shown), which press therolls 12 and 13 into gripping relation with the platen.

A cast-off device is provided for the feedrolls, and comprises afinger-piece 20, pivoted at 21 on one of the platen-frame end walls 3(shown here as the right wall), and connected by a link 22 to a shortdownwardly and forwardly-extending crank-arm 23 on the adjacent end of acam-shaft or rockshaft 24, provided with flattened cam portions 26engaging between cam lugs 27 and 28, which form downward extensions onthe res ective front and rear feed-roll arms 16 an 17. Downward pressureon the projecting end of the finger-piece 20 will operate to rotate therock-shaft 24 through an angle of about 90 degrees for casting off thefeedrolls from their engaging or gripping position, shown in Figure 2,to their released or disengaged position, shown in Figure 3, in whichlatter position they will be detained by reason of the transverselocking position of the cams. In a typing operation, types carried byusual type-heads 30, one of which is shown at the printing position inFigure 2, strike upon platen 1 at the printing line at the front thereofabove the paper-apron 11. The parts so far described belong to the usualUnderwood standard typewriting machine.

A blind or guide-sheet 35 is'fixed at 36 to a transverse bar 37, towhich is connected a parallel-motion linkage designed to give the bar 37and sheet 35 a motion lengthwise of the rear paper-table without skewingor other sidewise motion. Links 40 and 41 are pivotally and slidablyconnected at their up per ends to bar 37 by means of screws 42 and 43passing through said links and operating in slots 44 and 45 in bar 37and arcuate slots 51 and 52 in the rear paper-table. The links crosseach other and are pivotally connected at 46, the lower ends of saidlinks being pivotally and slidably connected to the rear paper-table 10by screws 47 and 48 passing through said links and operating in slots 49and 50, respectively. The rear paper-table 10 has fixed thereto, at therear, a bar 55, said bar being attached to the platen-frame at its ends.

From the above-described parallel-motion linkage, it will be understoodthat a downward force applied at one side of bar 37 will move the entirebar downwardly while maintaining it in a horizontal position. Screws 42and 43 will move to the lower ends of the curved slots 51 and 52 and tothe outer ends of slots 44 and 45, while the screws 47 and 48 will moveto the outer ends of the slots 49 and 50. The sheet 35 attached to bar37 can thus be pushed forwardly around the platen without skewing orother sidewise motion.

Means are provided on the platen-frame for operating the transverse bar37 and its attached guide-sheet. The bar is provided at one end with anear or flange 60, to which is pivotally connected at 61 anupwardlyextending link 62. A second link 63 is pivotally connected atone end to the end of link 62 at 64, and at the other end is pivoted ona pivot-stud 65, mounted in a supporting bracket 66, fixed upon the topof the adjacent end wall 3 of the platen-frame. The bracket and linkageare mounted upon the same side of the platen-frame as thefeedroll-release-lever for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

Pivoted upon the stud 65 is a lever havin a forwardly-extending arm 71provide with a finger-piece 67, and a rearwardly-extending arm in theform of a segment 68, provided at its extreme outer limits with pins 69and 70 adapted to lie one on either side of link 63. It can readily beseen that, by raising finger-piece 67, pin 69 presses link 63 downwardlyto push transverse bar 37 and sheet 35 around the platen. and that. bylowering finger-piece 67, pin 70 presses link 63 upwardly to raise bar37 and draw the guide-sheet rea-rwardly.

To allow for easy movement of the guidesheet, it is desirable to throwoff the feedrolls before such movement begins. The mechanism foreffecting this purpose comprises a headed stud 80 adapted to engagebeneath a shoulder or offset 81 formed near the upper end of asubstantially vertical operating link 82, the lower end of which formsan upward extension of the link 22 operating the feed-roll rock-shaft24, so.that,

by moving link 82 upwardly, it is possible to release the feed-rolls.The link 82 is guided by means of a headed stud or pin 83 projectingfrom an ear 84' formed on the bracket 66 and engaging in a straightguideslot 85 extending longitudinally of link 82. The guide-slot 85 isextended upwardly to form an arcuate front wall 86 below the offset 81and to form an arcuate guide-slot 87 above the oflset, the curve of thearcuate resales wall and the guide-slot being concentric with the axisof the pivot-stud in the position of parts shown in Figure 3.

In order to cast ofi the feed-rolls preparatory to the forward movementof the guidesheet 35, the finger-piece 67 is lifted from its depressedposition, shown in Figure 2, toward the raised position thereof, shownin Figure 3. During the initial part of this movement, the link 82 willbe raised by reason of the engagement of stud 80 with the shoulder 81,thereby casting ofi the feed-rolls, and, during this initial upwardmovement of the finger-piece 67, the lost motion between pin 69 and link63 will be taken up, no movement being imparted to link 63. At anintermediate stage, by reason of the angular forward movement of stud80, and the substantially straight upward movement of the link 82 guidedby stud 83, the operating stud will slip off the shoulder 81 into thearcuate slot 87 at substantially the same time that pin 69 contacts withlink 63. Further or continued upward movement of the operating handle orfinger-piece 67 will have no effect upon the feed-rolls, since the link82 remains in the position shown in Figure 3, the feed-rolls being castoff. Upon continued upward movement of finger-piece 67, the stud 80 willride idly in slot 87, but pin 69 will rotate the outer end of link 63downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3, forcing link 62 and hencebar 37 down Wardly. The guide-sheet 35 is moved forwardly aruond theplaten, the parallel-motion linkage previously described operating tolead the sheet forwardly Without skewing or other uneven motion.

For withdrawing or retracting the guidesheet 35, the finger-piece ismoved down wardly from the Figure3 to the Figure 2 position. Thedownward movement of finger-piece 67 will result in stud 80 riding downthe entire length of arcuate slot 87 and along the arcuate wall 86. Thestud engages no part of the operating link 82 which therefore remains inthe Figure 3 position. In

t the initial downward movement of the To enable szveral duplicatecopies to be made, a plurality of carbon-sheets 90, 91 are fed over therear paper-table from rollers 92, 93, mounted on the rear table. Anidler roller 94, which may be of rubber, is adapted to contact with therollers 92, 93 outside the inserted bottom end foremost betweenthecarbon-sheets, the outer work-sheet being inserted between theguide-sheet and the first carbon-sheet, and the inner work-sheet beinginserted between the last carbon-sheet and the platen, and are pushedaround. the platen to the first line to be typed.

The carbon-rolls are generally mounted at the rear end of thepaper-table, and, smce the length of the various work-sheets employed inmany cases exceeds the distance from the rear or upper endof thepapertable to the printing point, it is necessary to mount thecarbon-rolls upon the paper table in such manner as to allow thebottomends of the work-sheets to be pushed-beyond the carbon-rolls. From aninspection of Figure 3, it will be seen that the outer worksheet 102extends rearwardly along the paper-apron and paper-table and passesbetween the table and carbon-roll 93: worksheet 101 lies adjacent carbon91 and passes between carbon-rolls 93 and 92; and worksheet 100 restsupon carbon 90 and passes over carbon-roll 92. If the bottom ends ofsheets 101 and 102 are to have unobstructed rearward movement, it isnecessary'to prov1de a space between carbon-roll 93 and the paper-table,and between carbon-rolls 92 and 93, the rollers being spaced from thetable and from each other in a direction substantially perpendicular tothe table, and each roller being spaced above the plane of theunderlying work-sheet. For this purpose, the paper-table has fixedthereto at its upper edge brackets 110, one at each side thereof, saidbrackets having arms 111 projecting upwardly substantially perpendicularto the plane of the table. Within the brackets are mounted shafts 112and 113 which carry the rolls 92 and 93, said shafts being so positionedthat the rolls are spaced from each other in a direction perpendicularto the table. In the right-hand bracket is journaled also a shaft 114supporting roller 94. The lower carbon-roll 93 is spaced above the planeof the table so that the lowest work-sheet may pass thereunder. To guardagainst the bottom edge of the sheet striking the roll 93, due topossible curling of the sheet, a guard 115 is fixed between the arms ofthe brackets adjacent the lower surface of the roll, and 'is providedwith an upturned forward flange 116 to direct the bottom edge of thework-sheet beneath the guard.

From the above description, it will be a parent that the carbon-rollsare in each case spaced above the plane of the underlyin work-sheet,thus allowing unobstructec movement of the bottom edge of each sheet assaid sheetis pushed rearwardly from the front of the platen. When thesheets have been adjusted, the guide-sheet is withdrawn by loweringfinger-piece 67 and applying the feed-rolls. When sheet 100 isarecordsheet which remains in the machine while the bill-sheet andledger-sheet are changed, said record-sheet which is wider than theother sheets may be held to the platen, when the feed-rolls are thrownoff, by the usual pressure-rolls 117 at the front of the platen. Arecord-sheet need not be changed frequently and hence it is usuallyinserted from the rear of the machine while the billsheets andledger-sheets are inserted from the front thereof in the mannerhereinbefore described.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, andportions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim: v 1. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of arevoluble platen, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexiblesheet-guide normally in a retracted position, means for advancing saidsheet-guide up in front of the platen whereby a work-sheet mayconveniently be introduced bottom end first between the guide and theplaten, a mounted roll of carbon-paper, the leading end of the paperbeing led forwardly beneath the platen and up in front thereof betweensaid guide and said platen, to enable said work-sheet to be introducedbetween the guide and the carbon-paper, and to enable a second sheet tobe introduced bottom end first between the carbon-paper and the platen,said worksheets being pushed rearwardly until the first line to be typedis at the printing point, said roll being mounted on said pa per-tableand spaced above the plane of the table to allow said first work-sheetto pass freely and without bending between said table and said roll, andmeans for retracting the sheet-guide to permit typing on thework-sheets.

2. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a revolubleplaten, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexible sheet-guidenormally in a retracted position, means for advancing said sheetguide upin front of the platen whereby a work-sheet may conveniently'beintroduced bottom end first between the guide and the platen, mountedrolls of carbon-paper, the

leading ends of said rolls being led forwardly beneath the platen and upin front thereof between said guide and said platen, to enable saidwork-sheet to be introduced between the guide and the outermostcarbon-paper, and to enable additional worksheets to be introducedbetween adjacent carbon-papers and beneath the innermost carbon-paperand the platen, said worksheets being pushed rearwardly until the firstline to be typed is at the printing point, said rolls being mounted onsaid papertable, the lowermost roll being spaced above the plane of saidtable, and the rolls being spaced from each other to allow saidworksheets to pass freely and without bending between said table andsaid lowermost roll, and between said rolls, and means for retractingthe sheet-guide to permit typing on the work-sheets.

3. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a revolubleplaten, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexible sheet-guidenormally in a retracted position, means for advancing said sheetguide upin front of the platen whereby a work-sheet mayconveniently beintroduced bottom end first between the guide and the platen, mountedrolls of carbon-paper, the leading ends of said rolls being ledforwardly beneath the platen and up in front thereof between said guideand said platen, to. enable said work-sheet to be introduced between theguide and the outermost carbon-paper, and to enable additionalworksheets to be introduced between adjacent carbon-papers and betweenthe innermost carbon-paper and the platen, said worksheets being pushedrearwardly .until the first line to be typed is at the printing point,said rolls being mounted on said paper-table with their axes in a planesubstantially perpendicular to theplane of the table, the lowermost rollbeing spaced above the plane of said table, and the rolls being spacedfrom each other to allow said worksheets to pass freely and withoutbending between said table and said lowermost roll, and between saidrolls, and means for retracting the sheet-guide to permit typing on thework-sheets.

4. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a revolubleplaten, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexible sheet-guidenormally in a retracted position, means for advancing said sheet-guideup in front of the platen whereby a work-sheetoma conveniently beintroduced bottom en first between the guide and the platen, a mountedroll of carbon-paper, the leading end of the paper being led forwardlybeneath the platen and up in front thereof between said guide and saidplaten, to enable said worksheet to be introduced between the guide andthe carbon-paper, and to enable a second sheet to be introduced bottomend first between the carbon-paper and the platen, said work-sheetsbeing pushed rearwardly until the first line to be typed is at theprinting point, said roll being mounted on said paper-table and spacedabove the plane of the table to allow said first work-sheet to passfreely and without bending between said table and said roll, a guide fordirecting the bottom edge of the first work-sheet into the space betweensaid table and said roll, and means for retracting the sheetguide topermit typing on the work-sheets.

5. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a revolubleplaten, a

paper-table at the rear of the platen, a

flexible sheet-guide normally in a retracted position, means foradvancing said sheetguide up in front of the platen whereby a work-sheetmay conveniently be introduced bottom end first between the guide andthe platen, mounted rolls of carbon-paper, the leading ends of saidrolls being led forwardly beneath the platen and up in front thereofbetween said guide and said platen, to enable said work-sheet to beintroduced between the guide and the outermost carbon-paper, and toenable additional worksheets to be introduced between adjacentcarbon-papers and between the innermost carbon-paper and the platen,said worksheets being pushed rearwardly until the first line to be typedis at the printing point, said rolls being mounted on said paper-table,the lowermost roll being spaced from said table and the rolls beingspaced from each other, and each roll being spaced above the plane ofthe underlying worksheet to allow said work-sheets to pass freely andwithout bending between said table and said lowermost roll, and betweensaid rolls, and means for retracting the sheet-guide to permit typing onthe worksheets.

6. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a revolubleplaten, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexible sheet-guidenormally in a retracted position, means for advancing said sheet-guideup in front of the platen whereby a work-sheet may conveniently beintroduced bottom end first between the guide and the platen, bracketsfixed to said table, one on either side thereof, each bracket having anupstanding arm substantially perpendicular to the plane of said table, aroll of carbon-paper mounted in said brackets, the leading end of thepaper being led forwardly beneath the platen and up in front thereofbetween said guide and said platen, to enable said work-sheet to beintroduced between the guide and carbon-paper, and to enable a secondwork-sheet to be introduced bottom end first between the carbon-paperand the platen, said "work-sheets being pushed rearwardly until thefirst line to be typed is at the printing point, said roll being spacedabove the plane of the table to allow said first work-sheet to passfreely and without bending between said table and said roll, and meansfor retracting the sheet-guide to perniit typing on the work-sheets.

7. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of arevolu-ble platen, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexiblesheet-guide normally in a retracted position, means for advancing saidsheet-guide up in front of the platen whereby a worksheet mayconveniently be introduced bottom end first between the guide and theplaten, brackets fixed to said table, one on either side thereof, eachbracket having an upstanding arm substantially perpendicular to theplane of said table, a roll of carbonpaper mounted in said brackets, theleading end of the paper being led forwardly beneath the platen and upin front thereof between said guide and said platen, to enable saidwork-sheet to be introduced between the guide and carbon-paper, and toenable a second work-sheet to be introduced bottom end first between thecarbon-paper and the platen, said work-sheets being pushed rearwardlyuntil the first line to be typed is at the printing point, said rollbeing spaced above the plane of the table to allow said first work-sheetto pass freely and without bending between said table and said roll, aguide fixed to said brackets beneath said roll for directing the bottomedge of the first work-sheet into the space between said table and saidroll, and means for retracing the sheet-guide to permit typing on thework-sheets.

8. In a front-strike typewriting machine, the combination of a revolubleplaten, a paper-table at the rear of the platen, a flexible sheet-guidenormally in a retracted position, means for advancing said sheet-guideup in frontof the platen whereby a worksheet may conveniently beintroduced bottom end first between the guide and the plat en, bracketsfixed to said table, one on either side thereof, each bracket having anupstanding arm substantially perpendicular to the plane of said table,rolls of carbon-paper mounted in said brackets, the leading ends of saidrolls being led forwardly beneath the platen and up in front thereofbetween said guide and said platen, to. enable said work-sheet to beintroduced between the guide and the outermost carbon-paper, and toenable additional work-sheets to be introduced between adjacentcarbon-papers and between the innermost carbon-paper and the platen,said work-sheets being pushed rearwardly until the first line to betyped is at the printin point, the lowermost roll being spaced a ove theplane of said table,

and the rolls being spaced from each other to allow said work-sheets topass freely and without bending between said table and the lowermostroll, and between said rolls, a guide fixed to said brackets beneathsaid lowermost roll for directing the bottom edge of the firstWork-sheet into the space between said table and said lowermost roll,and means for retracting the sheet-guide to permit typing on theWork-sheets.

JOHN A. VVHERRY. Witnesses:

ST. CLAIR ADAMS, J. N. SWING.

